Andrea Pirlo left angered by Alvaro Morata's miss in Juventus' draw with Atalanta
Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo has admitted that Alvaro Morata's shocking miss in Wednesday's 1-1 draw with Atalanta made him 'very angry'.
The Bianconeri's draw, their sixth in twelve Serie A games, sees them remain in third place in Serie A. Andrea Pirlo was hoping that his side would continue their sparkling form which has seen them win their last four games in all competitions. However, they were denied their fifth win when Remo Freuler cancelled out Federico Chiesa's opener.
Portuguese talisman Cristiano Ronaldo missed the opportunity to seal all three points when he failed to slot away a penalty after Chiesa had been tripped in the area.
Andrea Pirlo was relaxed about the 35-year-old's miss but was left frustrated by Alvaro Morata's indiscretion early in the first half when he inexplicably scuffed a backheeled effort wide.
In the post-match press conference, Pirlo said:
"Morata's miss made me very angry it's something we cannot afford. These opportunities can channel the game in a certain way."
"One must have the lucidity to make the right choice and he didn't. Aside from that he played a great game. It happens that goals are not scored sometimes."
Alvaro Morata has been in great form for Andrea Pirlo's Juventus
Alvaro Morata has been in fine form since he joined Juventus on an initial 12-month loan deal from Atletico Madrid over the summer. The former Chelsea man's form has even seen him displace the likes of Paulo Dybala from Andrea Pirlo's starting XI.
Juventus came up against a goalkeeper in inspired form on Wednesday. Atalanta shot-stopper Pierluigi Gollini saved Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty and made excellent stops to deny Alvaro Morata and Weston McKennie.
Andrea Pirlo was, however, pleased with his side's attitude but said that they need to show more conviction if they want to start turning their draws into wins.
"We played an excellent match against a strong team, with great pace. However, we would have won if we had shown more conviction. We created a lot, but we have not been able to close it out and when we leave the game in the balance, anything can happen, but we took the field with the right attitude."
"It was an important game in terms of intensity. Atalanta is difficult to face and we did it well."
Juventus have had a slow start to their Serie A campaign under Andrea Pirlo. The Old Lady were in third place prior to their game with Atalanta on Wednesday, having registered 23 points in eleven games.
The Bianconeri will hope to return to winning ways when they travel to Parma on Saturday. The side finished at the top of their group in the UEFA Champions League and are currently just four points behind Serie A leaders, AC Milan.